uniquely Massachusetts

several times recently a comment has been run across that state specific groups dealing in these our subjects should contain information specifically pertaining to said state,,,,this has me stumped...my geographic/demographic differs as dramatically from the left side as it does to the cape,,,we cover the spectrum, as do most other states, from metropolis to podunk....our laws and lawmakers(many of them) do tend to be on top side of kennedys yacht, and are as tuned into our life as we are to theirs,,being minimal to nonexistent ..lots of people throw out the word revolution, resistance,,,good words in and of themselves,but i'm thinking not along the revolution scenario,,,reclamation, or, restoration, to me, is far more appropriate with what needs doing,,,a revolution can only be waged against a duly authorised governmental system(i think),,,and given that through the years our PTB have quite effectively removed our input in establishing the present ruling class...it is painfully evident that we no longer have a government that is "of the People", here in this State,hence not to be considered legitimate,,doubt we would be heard..whereas a "restoration" might could be an answer to regaining what has been stripped from us while we were sleeping and drinking and spending ourselves stupid...maybe there is merit in attempting to use the system to change the system,,i tend to doubt that this would be very effective,,,flashback to Walden Pond tho,,and ideas emanating from one Mass. citizen, while making small, and, at the time, seemingly radical and revolutionary precepts come to light,,,,ones that went on to inspire great men to perform great deeds,,ie Gandhi,King,,,,,as i recall, and i could be in error,,Civil Disobedience,while non-violent, is, if acted out with sufficient numbers, a very powerful force,,,organising and trusting enough people would be a task gargantuan,,but think if it could be coalesced into a movement,,(bigger even than alices restaurant massacree,;),which could NOT be ignored,,,even failing in obtaining change, it would certainly shake the old status quo of we the peoples sleeping brethren,,mayhaps enough to begin anew, or carry on in the spirit of our Constitution(the terrorist papers)...all this being conditional, naturally, as to plans made by said PTB,perhaps anticipating such actions.NWO coming? pandemic?invasion?,,,we don't know for a fact,empirically, that those scenarios will ever present themselves,,,we do know, as we stand,,things are deteriorating too rapidly to do nothing...personally, these days, i would not enjoy armed conflict on a scale that would involve people that aren't ready,,the innocent ones, kids,who surely have the great misfortune of potentially being collateral damage,,,,consider, too, the ramifications of economic collapse,,and being isolated from others with the wherewithal to regroup and form free areas....how much repression,,militarily,,could or would be brought to bear,,i have reason to doubt American troops would be complicit in repressive actions,,and if foreign troops were used...you'd have a LOT more fence sitters ready and willing(hopefully able),,to engage any OPFOR,for that is what they would be,,on OUR soil
and as always, my disclaimer,,,i could be wrong about this,but,,,
always open to critique,,thats how i learn,,,have a good'un,,and have your own thoughts,,,whaddaya think?

Foraging for WIld Foods in Massachusetts

Here is an interesting link to a series of lectures, slide-shows, and foraging walks for edilble wild foods and mushrooms in Massachusetts in 2009:

http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm

More links to various articles about Russ Cohen and foraging in Massachusetts:

http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/toc.htm

Gas tax

As you all must know by now Governor Patrick has decided to increase our gas tax by 80%+ from 23.5 cents per gallon to 42.5 cents per gallon. At a time when people are hurting, at a time when people are losing their jobs, at a time when people are losing their homes, at a time when people are losing their health insurance and the best Our Government can do is to tax We The people. We The People are already forced to make decisions about how to spend our limited cash. We The People all are already forced to prioritize our needs and make do or do without.
At a time when we have to, if we are lucky, settle for the ground beef rather than the sirloin. Or abandon our hope for a family vacation. We The People forget about sending our kid to summer camp or the private school. And what does Our Government offer in return? Do we get a hand up? No. Do we get a tax credit? No. Do we get assistance of any kind? No.

Our Government once again taxes We The people.

Across the Commonwealth every week thousands are losing their jobs. Last week thousands lost their jobs, and the week before that and the week before that and the week before that. What once were two income families are now one income families. What once were full-time jobs are now part-time jobs. And in return, Our government taxes We The people.

When will it end? How many times and for how long and how deeply can Our Government continue to bleed We The People dry.

Our cities and towns all come with their hands out too.

Why can't government understand that we are choosing to heat our homes or feed our bodies, to buy medicine or new sneakers? We have limited resources and have to live within our means.

When will We The People rise up in a chorus and scream from the buildings, parks and mountains, "We don't have it. We don't have it. We don't have it?" What will it take?

How in the face of so much widespread, popular suffering can Our Government ask us to give any more? How?

How can there be such a total and absolute disconnect between the daily struggles of We The People and Our Government? We elect them. They work for US.

I saw Mayor Menino on TV last week. He was speaking about the possibility of stimulus monies being wasted, the good Mayor said, and I quote that people will "revolt." Menino said the R word, revolt. Which is awfully close to the other R word.

I fear that day is coming. We don't have it. We will stop paying our taxes. There will be a tax revolt. There will be a tax revolt.

If our government is unresponsive to We The People there will be changes. Call you legislators. Write your legislators. Let them know that We have no more to give.

And if they are unresponsive, let them know that there will be changes.

Tax by tickets.

Looks like all the cops are on the prowl for any tickets they can write. All the towns are short on income, and they are not counting on the Commonwealth for a handout. So what's that mean? For me, two tickets in a week. It's been 10 years since I got pegged, so I'm fighting both of them.

I have seen people pulled over all over the place, so be careful out there. It's one thing for a $140 speeding ticket, it's worse because of the damn insurance surcharge. Expect this to get worse.

Canning Resources

Some good resources for anyone starting out with canning:


30 pages of the basics of canning from the USDA-
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/usda/utah_can_guide_01.pdf


Great information. The Preserving Food at Home Self-Study course is really good. It allows you to work through the 4 modules at your own pace, and is free.
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html


A forum/message board for any questions and sharing information:
http://www.freshpreserving.com/phpbb/phpBB3/index.php?sid=455f1ba3395264bc2d7810202801fda0


Granny Miller's blog- she has made quite a few videos about canning, which can be accessed from her site:
http://grannymillerblog.blogspot.com/


Canning supplies such as water-bath canners, jars, kids, mixes, etc:
http://canningusa.com/shop.php


Canning and freezing information with illustrations:
http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm


And some of my favorite canning and preserving books:

http://www.amazon.com/BALL-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235309718&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Putting-Food-Plume-Janet-Greene/dp/0452268990/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235309718&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Small-Batch-Preserving-Year-Round/dp/1554072565/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235309718&sr=1-7

http://www.amazon.com/Persons-Guide-Preserving-Step-Step/dp/0882669001/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235309718&sr=1-9